Breast cancer is not one disease — it splits into hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative subtypes that respond to very different treatments. With more than 3,600 active studies, this is one of the most heavily researched cancers, and treatment is steadily moving toward shorter, gentler regimens guided by tumor genetics.
What's actually going on in research
Researchers are testing antibody-drug conjugates that deliver chemotherapy directly to cancer cells, new pills that block cancer growth signals, and ways to shrink tumors before surgery so smaller operations are possible. Many studies focus on which patients can safely skip chemotherapy or radiation based on a tumor's genetic profile, and on better treatments for cancers that have spread or come back.
Targeted antibody drugs
A new class of drugs called antibody-drug conjugates is delivering chemotherapy straight into cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. They are extending lives in metastatic breast cancer and now being tested earlier.
De-escalation
Studies are checking whether some patients can skip chemotherapy, radiation, or extended hormone therapy based on genetic tests of their tumor. The goal is the same survival with fewer side effects.
Triple-negative treatments
Triple-negative breast cancer has had fewer options, but immunotherapy combinations and new targeted drugs are showing real benefit in trials. Several studies are open for newly diagnosed and recurrent disease.
What to know before you search
Eligibility usually depends on tumor subtype (hormone receptor and HER2 status), stage, prior treatments, and sometimes genetic markers like BRCA mutations or PIK3CA changes.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new drugs or drug combinations in people with breast cancer to see if they work better than standard care.
- Adjuvant trials — Testing whether adding a treatment after surgery lowers the chance of cancer coming back.
- Neoadjuvant trials — Testing treatments given before surgery to shrink the tumor and learn how it responds.
- Prevention trials — For women at high risk, testing medications or strategies that may lower the chance of developing breast cancer.
- Supportive care trials — Testing ways to reduce side effects like hot flashes, fatigue, or nerve damage from treatment.
Recently added Breast Cancer trials
Determining the Extent of the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause Burden in Breast Cancer Survivors
Breast cancer survivors (BCS) often face unique challenges during and after treatment, including the onset of menopause-related symptoms. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) is a common concern in BCS undergoing endocrine therapy (ET). It is a chronic condition caused by estrogen deficiency, leading to vaginal and urinary symptoms such as dryness, irritation, pain during intercourse, recurrent infections, and urinary urgency. The prevalence of GSM in BCS varies widely depending on factors such as the type of ET, individual patient characteristics, and the duration of treatment. As such, the prevalence of GSM in BCS can range from 13% to 95.2%. A recent systematic review performed by part of the investigators of this study concludes that GSM is a significant problem for breast cancer patients. However, most studies lack a control group, limiting the results' validity. Therefore, this study aims to determine the extent of the GSM burden in BCS using a prospective, controlled cohort study. This study will compare breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapy (ET) with those undergoing chemotherapy (CT), as CT may also induce GSM-like symptoms. In addition, a comparison will be made with healthy controls. For this study, two groups of participants are included: women with breast cancer and a healthy control group without breast cancer. Within the breast cancer group, a distinction is made between women receiving chemotherapy only and women undergoing hormone therapy only. All participants complete questionnaires. The control group completes these questionnaires once, whereas women with breast cancer are asked to complete the same questionnaires at multiple time points during their treatment and follow-up. This longitudinal approach allows us to assess how potential symptoms evolve over the course of treatment. By comparing responses between both groups, a clearer understanding of which symptoms occur more frequently in women with breast cancer as a consequence of their treatment can be obtained.
Extracellular Vesicles and Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the blood can be used as biomarkers to predict chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in adult cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with taxanes, platinum compounds, or antimitotic drugs. The main questions the study aims to answer are whether blood levels of EVs change in patients who develop CIPN during and after chemotherapy and whether specific features of EVs, including lipids and microRNAs, are associated with the development and severity of CIPN. Participants will be followed from before the start of chemotherapy until six months after treatment ends to evaluate how changes in EVs relate to nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. During the study, participants will provide blood samples before chemotherapy, at the end of treatment, and six months later for measurement and molecular analysis of EVs, will complete questionnaires about neuropathy symptoms, and will undergo simple, non-invasive nerve function tests using a tuning fork (diapason) and a Neuropen device. This study does not test cancer drugs; instead, it aims to identify biological markers in blood that may help predict which patients are at higher risk of developing CIPN, with the goal of improving monitoring and care during cancer treatment.
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